Light-years from Now
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: Slash, drabble. While everyone else is caught up in their fantasies, Teddy tells Al they're science fiction. Established?AlTeddy.


**Light-years from Now**

A HariPo drabble

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Harry Potter_ characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not me. More AlTeddy from me—tra-la-la~! 83 Read, review, and enjoy!

- ^-^3

"I wonder what space junk looks like," Teddy tells a sixteen-year-old Albus. It's a kind of funny thing, because the words that pour from Teddy's mouth ought to be coming from someone Al's age, not Teddy's. But Al has never minded that inner child of Teddy's—never has and never will.

"Why do you say that?" Al asks, half listening because, even though it's the summer before his seventh year, he's brushing up on his D.A.D.A. material because he's rubbish at the subject and he really shouldn't be if he hopes to become an Auror. He still doesn't think he should've made it into the N.E.W.T.-level class, but he owes that to Teddy's help. (At the thought, he blushes, because Teddy wasn't much help half the time as much as he was a distraction.)

"Because I'm curious. And I think it'd be cool to go up into space," the Metamorphmagus answers easily, lazily, smoothly. He leans his neck on the railing of the balcony, and Al rolls his eyes as he doesn't have the energy to tell the older wizard not to do that for the umpteenth time. Sometimes the balcony is more a burden than a blessing, but Ginny and Harry had insisted Al take the room that had once been Harry's room as a baby because, even though it was smack dab between James' and Lily's rooms, it did have that small but nice balcony. (And, no, they didn't know how much easier that made it for Teddy to visit when Teddy wanted to see Al and Al alone.)

"You're a wizard. Why don't you just use a Bubble-Head Charm and Apparate up there?" the Potter teases.

Teddy looks at him and Al knows he has to look, too, because he'll find that expression on Teddy's face, the same one Teddy had had when Teddy had first alighted on the balcony earlier this summer after flying on his broom, the same expression that had said "Well, this seems quite plain to me" when Al hadn't been able to remove his eyes from Teddy's body, the same expression that had made a normally docile Al march right up to Teddy and do what he'd been dreaming about since third year (snog him), the same expression that hadn't changed to one of surprise because it had started all of this. Al's attention returns to the present as Teddy replies, "Oh, yeah, just think what the Muggles would say."

Al shrugs. "Muggle don't know what to think. Don't forget—magic is beyond them more than science is to us."

The turquoise-haired man hums to that, interested in that comment. "But I like science."

"Because it's a Muggle thing," Al infers, because one thing he likes about Teddy is that he tries to embrace his Muggle side, sort of in memory of his Muggle-born namesake. It's sweet, and it separates Teddy from the rest of their generation. (Not to mention there are quite a few _things_ that the Muggles know that Teddy has told Al and hopes to share with him someday.)

"But it's reality."

This gets Al to close his book and look at Teddy. "What…? Magic's reality, too. Our reality."

"Yes, but everyone loves losing themselves in fantasy, real or not. Fantasy is an escape," he says, scooting over to Al despite the summer heat. (Even in the heat, Teddy's body always feels nice and cool.)

"Technically, so is science fiction," Al retorts as Teddy plucks the book from his hand and drags a cruel fingertip along his white, so white he shouldn't be in the sun, arm. Al's thoughts go hazy for a second, but he bites his lower lip and shoots Teddy a look.

Teddy grins in response. "Yeah, but you know why people like science fiction? There's so much reality in it that it's all _possible_." He sighs and flops backwards, yanking Al with him.

Al reddens, not from the sun but from Teddy's proximity, and he lets Teddy tuck Al's form into his larger one so that Al's head is resting on his chest. "Anything's possible," Al barely breathes.

"Anything's possible," Teddy echoes. "Kind of like…us."

Al nods against Teddy's chest, thinking of what things will be like even one year from now…how he'll be done with school and an adult…how he'll push his father until Harry lets him into the Auror training program (because Al knows that his dad hopes he'll take a year before deciding that he really wants that dangerous job)…how he'll share a flat with Scorpius, his best mate, for a year before moving in with Teddy, to show that falling in love with Teddy had not happened so early on (oh, the hell that would be raised if Ginny and Harry knew!)…how he'll be able to wake every morning to the sight of the one he loved…how he'll come home every night, scared that he got home before Teddy and why had he gotten home before Teddy because he shouldn't be home before Teddy and—

"Hey—you all right, Alabaster?" Teddy murmurs at the top of Al's head.

Al's imagination calms at the endearment.

"You're clutching me awfully hard, luv," the older male indicates, and Al releases Teddy's side.

"Hey, Teddy…"

"Hmm?"

"Stay tonight."

Al can sense the raised eyebrows. "Al…"

"Not _that_ stay…just like this." And Al doesn't let any more conversation happen as he nods off, cuddled against his love. After all, they'll have 'til infinity and beyond for stuff like that.

- ^-^3

**Very random idea, but :3! I really do love AlTeddy…even though I also love Lilted and Jamdy so much… TT-TT Ohh, the pairing wars… *sigh* Anywho, I always like comparing fantasy with sci-fi (though I'm a fantasy girl through and through), so I thought it was fun to have the boys put their spin on it.**

**Thank you for reading, and please review!**

**-mew-tsubaki :D**


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